


Halfpaw’s Destiny

by Wikidclown



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Cats, Deputy, F/M, Leader, Lotus, Orchid, Rose - Freeform, Sunflowers, Teen Pregnancy, Warrior Cats, clan cats, halfpaw, meadowclan, medicine cat, oakfrost, rogues - Freeform, shadestar, warriors - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 14:54:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15798837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wikidclown/pseuds/Wikidclown
Summary: Halfpaw was the perfect apprentice. She would hunt, fight, and care for her clanmates like any other responsible cat. But when her path gets obstructed by a flirtatious rogue, what will she do when she is faced with a new destiny?





	1. Chapter 1

*most of these names are not of my creation. I was given permission from their owners to use them in this story.

MEADOWCLAN

Leader  
Shadestar- an all black tom with green eyes.

Deputy  
Stagheart- a brown and white splotched tom with blue eyes.

Medicine Cat  
Cottonstem- a fluffy white she-cat with one blue and one green eye.

Warriors  
Yarrowleaf- a shaggy dull gray she-cat with green eyes.

*Thrushfang- a cream and brown Tonkinese tom with blue eyes.

*Oakfrost- a russet tom with white underfur, black tabby markings, and ice blue eyes.  
((Apprentice: Halfpaw))

*Beesting- a pretty silver and brown she-cat with bright yellow eyes.

*Snakesnarl- a black and white tom with sharp blue eyes.  
((Apprentice: Viperpaw))

Redburst- a russet red and orange tabby splotched tom with green eyes.  
((Apprentice: Ravenpaw))

Peachsong- a very beautiful cream she-cat with yellow eyes.

Hiveclaw- a light gray tabby tom with blue eyes. 

Apprentices  
Halfpaw- a bicolor chocolate brown and orange she-cat with green eyes.

*Viperpaw- a cream and black tom with slitted green eyes.

Ravenpaw- an all black tom with icy blue eyes.

Queens  
*Magnarose- a long furred black and gray she-cat with deep amber eyes.

Elders  
Blizzardclaw- a white and silver striped tom with blue eyes.

Marigoldfur- a sandy tan tabby she-cat with green eyes.


	2. Chapter One

All seemed quiet in the serene MeadowClan forest.  Wind as gentle as feathers caressed the treetops and made the branches sway and nudge against each other.  Halfpaw was hidden deep in the foliage, crouched among tall grasses and lush, dew covered bushes. 

Her nose twitched as a tiny mouse scuttled into view.  Her muscles were taught with tension as she prepared to pounce.  In a flash, she leaped forward and grabbed the mouse between her teeth.

"Got it!" She mumbled around the tiny body. Fresh-kill scent washed over her senses, warm and rich.  A lithe body slid from the shadows behind her, an approving smirk across its face.

"Excellent job, Halfpaw! At this rate you'll be the best hunter in the whole forest!"

Halfpaw felt her heart swell with hapiness at her mentor's kind words. "Thanks Oakfrost," she purred. It had taken her longer than normal to earn his praise, he had always been insistent that she could do better. But with hard work and plenty of practice, she had begun to shape into a worthy apprentice.

"Now, bury that and we will go to the south border. Shadestar wanted me to check something out over there," he explained. 

Shadestar gave us a special mission, she thought in excitement. Her tail immediately raised into the air as the tip flicked back and forth. Oakfrost must have seen her elation, for he shook his head with an amused snort.

"Don't get any mouse brained ideas," he commanded, "I will be the only one doing the investigating."

Halfpaw's tail drooped back towards the forest's earthen floor. Why wasn't she allowed to check things out? It's not like something bad would happen....

After Halfpaw buried her mouse, Oakfrost began to lead the way further into the forest. All around them, trees of various species towered towards the azure sky. Halfpaw still had difficulty telling the difference between them. There was just so much going on, so much to observe and learn. She wasn't sure if she'd ever have the chance to remember it all.

The path that Oakfrost had taken was endless. It felt like they had wandered through the undergrowth for hours. The pair had tripped over countless tangles of vines, leaped over numerous fallen logs, to finally arrive at MeadowClan's southern border. The Clan's scent markers tainted the air, thick and pungent. But, there was something else there as well...

Halfpaw trotted towards the border marker, but Oakfrost surged forward to intercept her. "Don't you smell that?" he demanded, "that's rogue scent!" At his words, Halfpaw's eyes grew wide. She had never encountered a rogue, nor had smelled their scent. It was strange.

"Are rogues dangerous?" she asked.

As the question left her mouth, she felt Oakfrost tense beside her. She glanced back towards the foliage along the border and saw a slender, dappled pelted tom slide from the bushes. His eyes shined a rusty yellow as his gaze darted between Halfpaw and Oakfrost. 

"Rogues? Dangerous?" the tom scoffed, "why would rogues be dangerous?"

Oakfrost pushed Halfpaw behind his flank. His back arched as he lashed a paw out at the calico tom. "Get out of here mange breath! You and your gang have caused nothing but trouble since you arrived!" he shouted. 

The rogue flicked his tail, his face shadowed with disbelief. "But I'm not like those rogues," he insisted, "I've never done anything to you Clan cats." Halfpaw stretched onto the tips of her toes so she could look over the top of Oakfrost's back. The rogue looked sincere, in her opinion. She wasn't sure exactly why her mentor seemed so upset, she couldn't remember hearing of anything that rogues may have done to her Clan.

"Like you haven't stolen our prey," Oakfrost retorted, "I've seen you do it! You and your friends cross our border and hunt our prey. Prey that should be feeding our kittens, and elders!" Halfpaw froze. Just recently, an elder by the name of Parsleysnap had passed on to StarClan. No one had told her how she had died; but she had seen the elder's ribs as thick as tree branches against her chest.

Just then, Oakfrost started to usher Halfpaw further away from the border, and the mysterious rogue. "Just stay away from our border!" he snapped over his shoulder as he started to pad away through the trees. Halfpaw lingered for a short while, her attention fixed on the calico tom cat.

"Halfpaw!" Oakfrost's irritated yowl sounded from deeper in MeadowClan's territory. With a sigh, she broke her stare away from the rogue and bounded after her mentor. She wished she could have asked him something; like what his life was like, or if he lived in a group like MeadowClan did. But it was too late now. Halfpaw shot one more glance back over her shoulder before the undergrowth swallowed her. To her surprise, the rogue was still there. He watched her leave, his expression unreadable.

~~~~~~~~~~

The trip back to camp was painfully silent. Oakfrost's pelt was spiked with tension, and his tail tip twitched sporadically. Halfpaw wasn't sure if it was just the rogue that had upset him. It almost felt like he was displeased with her. As the pair neared the long grasses that shielded the camp, Oakfrost stopped to push the leafy stalks aside for her.

"Go ahead and get yourself some fresh-kill," he meowed, "I will have to report to Shadestar about our encounter." To her relief, he didn't seem angry. After she padded into the short grassed clearing, he snaked around her and trotted over to Shadestar's den.

Finally alone, Halfpaw made her way to the fresh kill pile. Her littermates must had spotted her return to camp, for she was soon graced with Viperpaw and Ravenpaw's presence. The two brothers exchanged a mischievous look before they spoke.

"So did you manage to catch any prey today?" Viperpaw giggled. Halfpaw growled as she stuck out her paw to shift some of the prey on the pile. I could ask you the same thing, she thought.

"Well, yes," she muttered, "but we never ended up collecting it before we returned to camp." It sounded like a fishy excuse, but it was true! 

Ravenpaw shoved into Viperpaw with his shoulder. "Come on, you don't have to interrogate her," he purred, "you know Beesting and Thrushfang want us to be supportive."

Halfpaw snarled as she noticed Viperpaw roll his eyes. "I don't need you doing anything," she hissed, "just mind your own business."

Viperpaw's cream and dusky black fur fluffed at her words. The two toms grabbed some mice from the fresh-kill pile and trotted away. Halfpaw felt like they had been shocked by her reply. They act like they're so perfect, she fumed.

Now, it was her turn to pick some prey. She looked back down at the pile as her belly grumbled. The furry body of a shrew caught her eye, so she grabbed it between her teeth and turned to find where she could lay down.

The clearing was a little full, with most of the warriors already back in camp for the evening. After several moments, she decided to join Viperpaw and Ravenpaw near the side of the apprentice's den.

As she approached, she saw Ravenpaw look up out of the corner of his eye. But he stayed silent. He and Viperpaw had already finished their meal, and had lay down to bask in the remaining rays of sunlight. 

Halfpaw relished the silence and took her time to eat her shrew. Just as she was about to finish, Oakfrost appeared from Shadestar's den. He peered around the clearing for a moment before he noticed Halfpaw. He turned and made his way towards her.

"Shadestar would like to speak with you," he meowed as he neared. Halfpaw felt her tail stiffen with surprise. Why would Shadestar want to talk to me? Hopefully she hadn't done anything wrong.

She pushed herself to her paws and dipped her head to Oakfrost. Without a moment to spare, she turned and walked over to Shadestar's den. She thought she could feel her sibling's gaze like daggers on her back.

"Shadestar?" she called into the clamy darkness of the hollow rock. Somewhere inside, she heard Shadestar shift in his nest.

"Yes, come in Halfpaw," he replied, his tone firm. She braced herself for the inevitable scolding.

But as she ducked inside, she was relieved to find that he looked more concerned than displeased. "Oakfrost told me you both encountered a rogue on the border," he mewed.

Halfpaw nodded, her ears flat in anticipation. Shadestar reached his tail around to brush against her side. "There comes a time with every apprentice where I must stress the importance of being wary of strangers."

Halfpaw remained quiet as he continued. "We do not share our land with any other Clans, but there are still dangerous things out there that could potentially hurt us," he explained, "rogues are no exception."

"I understand, Shadestar," she replied. She knew what he said made sense, but she really didn't see how that rogue could have been dangerous. He seemed friendly, almost docile.

"Keep up with your training," Shadestar instructed, "I know Oakfrost is hard to please, but it'll be worth it once you're made a warrior."

"Yes, Shadestar," Halfpaw mewed. She felt him rest his muzzle against her ear tip before he flicked his tail to dismiss her.

After she padded back out into the camp, she realized that most of the other warriors had returned to their den for the night. The sky was on the verge of darkness, with only a few rays of light painted across its length.

"Get some rest. We will go out again in the morning," Oakfrost's voice sounded from nearby. He trotted passed her and disappeared into the warrior's den.

Great, more training, she grumbled as she made her way to the apprentice den. Inside, Viperpaw and Ravenpaw had already fallen asleep. Ravenpaw's black fur appeared like a shadowed smear across his moss bedding. With a sigh, Halfpaw sunk into her nest and drifted into a deep slumber.


End file.
